RST: Climate change a national security issue?; Low-income students succeeding on campus

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RST: Climate change a national security issue?; Low-income students succeeding on campus

In the early days of the study of climate change, scientists often focused on the environment and sea level rises or a shortage of food. The impact on human health was also a large part of the conversation.

Today, as we learn more about warming temperatures, forecasts are being made about what effect there will be on many other aspects of life on the planet.

One that may surprise some is that climate change is being viewed as a national security threat.

Michael Breen, the Executive Director of the Truman National Security Project and the Center for National Policy says the military's reliance on foreign fossil fuels puts it at risk and people who suffer as the result of extreme weather are often recruited by terrorists.

Breen will appear on Wednesday's Radio Smart Talk to address this provocative question. He'll also speak Wednesday night at the annual banquet of the Harrisburg-Hershey Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility.

Also, Franklin and Marshall College president Dr. Daniel Porterfield participated in NBC News "Education Summit" earlier this week. As part of a panel on higher education. Dr. Porterfield talked about F and M's efforts to recruit low-income, high achieving students and help them excel on campus.

Jun 16, 2014 | The Associated Press

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Comments: 1

The topic of the military's involvement with climate change and their move toward fuel independence was very well covered by Penn State's superb climatologist Dr Richard Alley (in his wonderful video http://www.earththeoperatorsmanual.com/feature-video/powering-the-planet) who was a guest on RST and who would always be a strongly recommended return guest.
I thought that Breen's basic apology for the status of the US military/corporate/governmental alliance (read: "fusion") is the same justification I have heard all my life from people whose lives are intimately bound to that alliance, and yet who attemptedly disavow their connection by saying "it runs counter to my beliefs."
You can't have it both ways...they're mutually opposing.

I remind Mr. Breen that his comment how he wrote a paper in which he stated his view that it was a "mistake" for the US to invade Iraq still had him serving in that "war" sounds not different at all from the statements made by German soldiers in WWII who did their duty even when they thought it was not in the best interest of Germany.
"Just following orders" doesn't cut it, Mr. Breen.

The USA is in the clutches of militarists---and has been since 1945.
Their control has only grown stronger over the years. . . .

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